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Hood release cable broken, hood won't open!!!

257K views 33 replies 16 participants last post by  Eric Smooke 
#1 · (Edited)
My hood release cable is broken, or has become disconnected. It's intact at the inside lever, but there's no resistance when I pull it. And of course the hood won't open.

Tried search, got this thread http://www.passatworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106783&highlight=hood+latch but it didn't help. There's not anything that I can get to through the grill to lever against and pop it open. Anyone got the magic formula?
 
#27 ·
jaero said:
I like it! Maybe you can mount the intercooler up there! Then it would really be tough to open the hood. :D
Maybe, but just think about all the deep water or snow you could drive through! :biglaugh:
 
#28 ·
So I've decided that it's actually far more fun to just talk about working on cars, than it is to actually work on them. I haven't tried anything yet - the hood is still unopened...

*sigh* the plucky spirit of DIY dies a sordidly lazy death...
 
#29 · (Edited)
my 20yr old daughter fixed the stuck hood!

I was replacing the hood lock mech' on a buddies 1.9 TDi, I loosely tightened the 3 retaining bolts, lowered the hood to check position & OH NO, the weight of the hood clicked it shut & I had yet to connect the release cable!
I tried everything I could & 4+ hours later, arms cut & bruised, called VW, who said it would cost a minimum of 2 hours at $230/hr +17.5% VAT (UK) & parts costs for whatever they has to 'smash' eg hood & or front end etc!

We put the car on the vehicle hoist & removed the front belly pan. With a strong light, you could just see the back of the mech, 3ft or so above & blocked by rad' fans etc.

I poked around with various long poles for 30mins but to no avail. My 20yr old daughter, 2nd Yr degree student studying Aeronautical Engineering uncoiled 4ft of 2mm fence wire & made a small hook on the end. We said 'that wont work' but she studied the old mech' for a whole 30seconds, pushed the wire towards the mech & 10seconds later, pulled down on it & the most wonderful sound in the World was the 'click' of the hood mech' popping.

Needless to say, she got a 'rib braking' hug from me & $50 to go have a few drinks and I am sure not the last 'thankyou' money she will get, especially as it could have personally cost me up to $3000 (UK aint cheap) :)

+ a final note, we fitted a 'diesel tuning box' (~$580) to my buddies car ~2weeks ago & it was already quite fast. I drove it back to his house, accelerating as I would normally in my 2litre Toyota petrol car & scared the crap outta myself. The acceleration is awesome + he reported 10+mpg fuel saving!
 
#30 ·
I know i'm reviving a dead thread, but I'm stuck... I pulled apart the under part of the dash to get to the lever... Pulled the lever off and tried the HARD pull method, to no avail.... Any other suggestions? I'm going to call the dealer just to get a price... But the only VW dealer around, I'm not too thrilled to deal with.
 
#31 ·
^ Any update on this?
I ask because the "T" handle at the front of my 99 V6 B5 is no longer attached to anything and thus, I can't open the hood.
I'm going to try and find some sturdy wire to see if I can make something long enough to reach from under the car. I can see the locating pin but seems like a lot of luck is going to be needed to get to it let alone hook the mechanism and be able to move it.
Any other advice is appreciated. Thanks.
 
#32 ·
Just to be clear in the hopes that someone has some info they can offer.
My secondary hood release (at the hood latch) has become detached with the hood down.
I tried to reach the mechanism from underneath the car with no success. Its a 99 V6 so not much room to work with and really can't see anything anyway.
If anyone has any tips, I'd appreciate it.
 
#33 ·
As long as you can pop the hood, you should have enough space to push the mechanism with a long screwdriver. It happened to me as well a few years ago. There's a spot that you have to push in and it will release the latch. If the plastic handle still has one of the arms, you can try to hook it on one of the pins and maybe again with a screwdriver hold it in place while pulling. But the first method worked for me. It took some time to figure out what needed to be pushed though.
 
#34 ·
My hood release cable is broken, or has become disconnected. It's intact at the inside lever, but there's no resistance when I pull it. And of course the hood won't open.

Tried search, got this thread Advice...Hood will not open but it didn't help. There's not anything that I can get to through the grill to lever against and pop it open. Anyone got the magic formula?
Hood latch is broken on B5 if you can send me the videos and photos and tools I should bring with me you’d be a life saver. Ericblade@aol.com
 
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